Archive for month: November, 2018

The importance of acknowledging a job well done cannot be overemphasized. Here are a few relatively inexpensive ideas from OnShift.com about how you can say “keep up the great work” in a memorable way:

Donate to a Charity of Their Choice: In the employee’s name, of course.

Volunteer with Pay Day: How about a paid day off to spend time volunteering with the charitable organization of their choice?

Party Time: Throw a pizza party for employees who consistently go above and beyond.

Lottery Tickets: Pass out lottery tickets at your next team meeting.

Gift Cards: For movies, restaurants, etc.

Treat Them to a Meal: Take them to breakfast or lunch to congratulate them on their success!

Coffee on You for a Week: Find out the type of coffee (or other beverage) they like and bring it to them at the start of their shift for a week.

A Long Lunch: Let your employee take an extra hour or two for lunch.

Queen/King for the Day: Have Uber, Lyft, or a taxi take them to work and home at day’s end. When they arrive, give this person a paper crown to wear and deliver breakfast and/or lunch to their desk.

Car Wash: Give out vouchers for a local car wash.

Need a great speaker for your next meeting? Give me a call; let’s talk!

If you’ve been following this blog for a while, you know I recommend you wrap up job applicant interviews by asking the person if they have any questions and, before answering, asking them why they asked that particular question in order to gain some insight into the applicants’ motivators/drivers.

Nowadays, jobseekers are being coached to ask the questions below. How will you answer them? (And don’t forget to turn them around before you do.)

“Do you have any questions or concerns about my qualifications or experience?” (Gives you a chance to address them and also shows you seek out feedback.)

“If a genie gave you three wishes to use for the top three abilities of the person filling this position, what three traits would you pick?”

“What do you feel are the strengths and weaknesses of this organization/your supervisory style?”

“What opportunities are there to grow and take on more responsibility here? How often will I be able to get feedback so I can improve?”

Need a great speaker for your next meeting? Give me a call; let’s talk!

Praise and recognition are essential to successful management. People want to be respected and valued by others for their contributions. Everyone feels the need to be recognized as an individual or member of a group and to feel a sense of achievement for work well done — or even for a valiant effort. A “pat on the back” costs nothing, promotes employee retention, and makes both the giver and the receiver feel great.

Here are five ways to maximize the bang you get for your employee recognition buck…

Make it fun and/or funny: I love to give people a stuffed Beanie Baby eagle or turkey. (Both get a great response and it’s amazing how long they will keep them on their desk or pass them on to their coworkers.)

Make it simple: It always amazes me what a gold star will get you. Just try putting one on an employee’s badge. Everyone wants a gold star.

Make it personal: Forget the company key chain or hat; make sure it’s something they want or need.

Make it timely: Do it as soon as you can after they do something great.

Make it specific: Tell the person exactly what behavior or results they are being rewarded for so they keep it up and so your other employees know what you find praiseworthy and what behaviors they should strive to emulate.

Need a great speaker for your next meeting? Give me a call; let’s talk!

The following snapshot is a close approximation of the results I get when I ask my convention and corporate training audiences: “How structured is your approach to recruiting, screening, and hiring new employees?”

10%

Very, we have clearly defined steps and procedures for each step in the selection process

40%

Kind of, we generally follow a repeatable hiring process

45%

Not very, our hiring process is a bit random

5%

Not at all, we never hire the same way twice

Of course, the weaker, more loosey-goosey the structure, the weaker the results. Why is this so often the case when better interviewing and hiring is a repeatable process with predictable results?

Need a great speaker for your next meeting? Give me a call; let’s talk!